Dickie V Ain’t Buyin’ the Platoons

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Here are your Kentucky Wildcats Thursday morning headlines.

At halftime of UK’s game against Missouri on Tuesday night, Calipari took a slight jab at Dick Vitale for disagreeing with Cal’s platoon system. Dickie V ain’t buyin’ it. Tim Sullivan writes:

"“Dick Vitale may not get the last word, but he’s going to get most of them.If Kentucky coach John Calipari is determined to engage ESPN’s relentlessly raspy analyst in a debate about his top-ranked team, he is advised to pack a lunch and some throat lozenges. Dickie V could talk the ear off an elephant.Yet though Vitale is to basketball what the filibuster is to Congress — oratory as a tactical weapon — Calipari could not resist jabbing him during Tuesday night’s 86-37 mauling of Missouri at Rupp Arena.”"

Dominique Hawkins was an unexpected addition to the starting lineup on Tuesday night. And, just like he usually does, Calipari seemed to have pushed the right buttons by starting the sophomore. John Clay writes:

"“That crazy John Calipari. There’s just no telling what that guy will do.After two subpar performances against middle-of-the-pack (or below) SEC teams, Big Blue Nation wondered what in the world was wrong with the team that had dominated so easily during the non-conference portion of the schedule.Calipari decided that what his team needed was a player he hadn’t even brought off the bench since Dec. 20.What the Cats needed was more Dominique Hawkins.”"

It’s one of the most hotly debated topics in the Commonwealth (and beyond) these days: who should be Kentucky’s starting five. Scott Polacek writes:

"“Kentucky head coach John Calipari is like a scientist—the regular season is his laboratory, and the changes to his lineup rotations are the variables in his experiment. The scary thing for the rest of the college basketball world is the possibility that he reaches his desired conclusion by March using this scientific method.Calipari threw Wildcats fans another curveball in Tuesday’s dominating 86-37 win over Missouri when he started little-used sophomore Dominique Hawkins.Whether it is a long-term move in an effort to get back to the full five-man platoons or just a lineup change to reward a hard-working player against an overmatched opponent remains to be seen, but Hawkins was certainly thrilled.”"

Kentucky entertained several high profile recruits Tuesday night. One of those—Derryck Thornton—had a good time on his visit. Adam Zagoria writes:

"“Findlay Prep point guard Derryck Thornton had an “amazing” visit to Kentucky this week, his father, Tank, told SNY.tv.‘[We] had a good time,’ he added by text.”"

Anthony Davis is destroying the league right now. His numbers are ridiculous. But are they MVP-worthy? Evan Reier writes:

"“Anthony Davis is a scary player. His mere presence creates a sense of danger andurgency for opposing teams, because all it takes for him to score is a quick move to create space. And on defense, Davis is a tenacious shot-blocker and rebounder. His ability to make electrifying plays and his overall importance to the New Orleans Pelicans have made him the front-runner for the NBA MVP so far.”"